


New Friends in Unlikely Places

by The3rdTrumpeteer



Series: Refuge and Remedies [10]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Race and Al meet and it's great, also meet more of my ocs I like making them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 13:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14978018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3rdTrumpeteer/pseuds/The3rdTrumpeteer
Summary: Based off the conversation between Race and Davey in my fic, "And All For One"-Race is thrown in the Refuge for the second time, but this time he has some friends to keep him sane.(takes place a few years before the strike)





	New Friends in Unlikely Places

When the guards shoved him into the dimly-lit, painfully familiar room with only gruff instructions to “find a bunk and stay there”, it was all Race could do to keep himself from crying. He hadn’t seen the inside of the Refuge since he was eight years old, but the memories were still fresh enough that he knew exactly what would happen to him if he wasn’t careful. 

Race leaned heavily against the wall; he had twisted his ankle pretty badly trying to get away from the bulls. He knew he should find a bunk, lest the guards come back, but it seemed like every bunk was full of kids, all of whom didn’t look too eager to add another to their numbers. 

Shit. His ankle really hurt.

“Hey, kid, over here.”

Race looked around and saw a kid about his age waving to him from a bunk near the window. Not wanting to sit on the filthy floor any longer than he had to, Race pushed himself up and limped over, then lowered himself carefully onto the little bit of mattress that didn't have anyone sitting on it. Now he was able to actually see who his bunkmates were. The kid who had invited him over had a freckled face and the brightest red hair Race had ever seen. There were two other boys, too; one was obviously younger, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes, while the other looked older than any of them, a wicked-looking scar arching over his right eye and down his temple before meeting his cheekbone.

Race couldn’t think of much to say. “Um...thanks. Y’know, with a little imagination, this bed could be as comfy as the floor over there.”

The red-haired kid snorted quietly. “Good one. I’m Albert.”

“Racetrack.”

Albert snorted again. “Nice name. Almost as ridiculous as Stitch’s over here.” He gestured to the kid with the scar -Stitch, apparently- who just shook his head.

“I only got that name in here,” he said. “The name’s Charlie, but you can call me whatever, I don’t care.”

“And I’m Peter, but you can call me Pete,” the blonde kid said, sticking out his hand. Racetrack hesitantly shook it, and Albert rolled his eyes.

“You don’t gotta shake hands with everyone you meet, Pete. We’s in prison, not at a fancy party or somethin’.”

“I’m just tryin’ to be friendly-”

“Alright, you two.” Charlie (Race decided he liked that name better) flicked the two younger boys in the ears, ignoring their protests. He turned to Race. “So, kid, we all got a sob story. Al here ran away from home and the Spider got ‘im for ‘loitering’. Pete got arrested ‘cause some idiot running a store thought he was stealin’.”

“I had money, too!” Pete said. “But they wouldn’t believe me.”

“I got arrested for fightin’ in the street,” Charlie continued. He gestured to his scar. “I got this from the guy tryin’ to hurt my little sister. So, how ‘bout you?”

“...I was stealin’ some food for one of my friends. We don’t got a lot to eat sometimes back at the lodgin’ house, and sellin’ has been kinda slow lately.”

“What’cha sellin’?” Albert asked.

“Papes. I’se a newsie.”

“I always saw you guys on my way to school,” Albert said. “Wanted to be one, but I got arrested before I could try.”

“Yeah, it’s-”

Race was interrupted by the door at the other end of the room swinging open, revealing Snyder. He strode into the room, two goons trailing behind him.

“I’m looking for our newest guest,” he said. Race immediately tried to make himself as small as possible, but it didn’t work. It never worked. Snyder saw him and gestured to his goons. “There he is.”

The two men grabbed Race by his arms and dragged him off the bed. He struggled because he knew what was coming. And he didn’t want to go back.

“Hey!” That was Albert. “Don’t-”

But one look from Snyder silenced him. Albert threw Race an apologetic look. Race didn’t blame him.

And then the goons took him forcefully from the room, and as always, Race wondered if he would ever see it again.

* * *

When Race woke up, he almost cried, not only from the pain, but because it was no longer Snyder’s face hovering over him, but Albert’s.

“You were gone for awhile,” he said. “The Spider bloodied you up pretty good.”

Race drew in a quiet breath at the mention of the name. He didn’t want to think about it.

“Al.” Charlie’s voice carried a warning. Albert immediately drew back from Race.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s just...you know that he-”

“I know,” Charlie said. He put a hand on Albert’s shoulder.

“Where’s Pete?” Race couldn’t lift his head without it pounding, but he thought he would have heard the kid’s friendly voice by now.

“He’s sittin’ over with some other kids,” Charlie replied. “He’s only been here a couple days, and I know it’s stupid, but I just wanna try to keep him innocent a little longer, y’know?”

Race just nodded. He understood.

“How long was I…” Race thought he might have blacked out an hour in, and he was glad for it. He had missed the worst, but he could still feel Snyder’s hands-

“A few hours. The sun set while you were gone. Hey, kid, it’s okay.” Charlie leaned forward and wiped away tears from Race’s cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he was crying.

“When-when I was in here the first time, they left me alone...mostly.” Race didn’t know why he was telling Charlie and Albert this, but he couldn’t stop himself. He just felt like they would understand. “I guess I was too young. But they would take the older boys. I knew one guy named Scotty. One day they brought him back, and he just stopped talking. He...the only sounds he ever made after that were screams. We could hear ‘em down the hall. I didn’t know what Snyder was doin’ to ‘im. He’d come back limpin’. Now...now I know.”

Charlie didn’t say anything, only put his arm around Race’s shoulders. Albert patted Race’s hand.

“We just gotta take care of each other.” Albert’s voice was the most serious Race had heard it in the short time he had known him. “He hurts us, but we can’t let ‘im win.”

“Yeah,” Race said. He looked at Albert and Charlie and smiled for the first time in a while. “He don’t own us.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow


End file.
